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Fire Chief Says Department Is Moving Forward
By
Gary Walker
Bulletin staff writer
Public safety agencies are often described as a fraternity, or in
previous years, a brotherhood. Because they deal with life-threatening
matters so frequently, they are typically close-knit units. But as
in most families, there are differences of opinion, and sometimes
even divisions.
Last week, the Bulletin published Part I of a series of interviews
with four Compton firefighters in March in an attempt to gain insight
into the progress that the fire agency has made, and to give the
public an idea of the members of the department’s assessment
of their organization.
As in any group, there were divergent opinions. But some of these
divisions seemed particularly acute. Some firefighters were accused
of creating divisions among their colleagues, while others pointed
to unsafe conditions and a city government that has ignored their
most basic needs for years.
While all of them expressed heartfelt affection for their city and
department, they also differed on the state of morale, equipment
and station conditions.
Fire Chief Rico Smith is confident that his department is working
on the problems that exist, and that the agency is steadily, after
a period of stagnation, moving forward.
“We are always looking at ways on how we can improve working
conditions for our firefighters and paramedics,” Smith said. “In
our department, there’s always something going on, whether
it’s physically training or in the classroom. We are constantly
training.”
The chief mentioned a grant of over $500,000 that he has recently
obtained in Homeland Security funds that has been put to very good
use. “We were able to purchase protective gear to use in case
of a terrorist attack, with gloves and other equipment that will
protect the men from biological radioactive elements,” Smith
said.
Smith praised the city council for its support of the department. “Our
elected officials have made the department a priority,” he
declared. “They have decided to replace most of our equipment,
which we definitely needed to do,” he added, mentioning the
recent council authorization of new fire engines, ambulances and
gurneys.
“Most of the (problems) that we have are minor, about what
you would expect in any department,” Smith said.
Another Opinion
Tony Branson, president of Local 2216, has a different opinion. The
union boss says that some of the fire service’s most pressing
problems have been ongoing for years.
“This didn’t just start with this council, to be fair,” he
began. He believes that the city government has not been responsive
to the needs of the fire service, and this has taken its toll on
many of them. “It’s been tough for the men,” he
told the Bulletin. “When you have to borrow engines from another
city, and that’s their third line rig, and it’s in better
condition than most of your first line rigs, it’s bound to
have an affect on morale,” he pointed out.
Last month, the Bulletin visited Station#2, which is 60 years old
and has never, according to the firefighters interviewed, been refurbished.
A reporter noticed a gaping hole in the ceiling that had been painted
over and several places where mold and mildew had set in. Repairs
for the roof have been authorized after an anonymous complaint to
the U.S. Department of Labor Health and Occupational Safety Organization,
but to date, have not been completed.
Like the hole in the roof and the alleged rodent infestation, there
are other deficiencies that can be hazardous to the health of the
men, who besides fighting fires, face an almost daily routine of
giving care to shooting victims, crack babies and victims of domestic
violence.
Pointing to a device on a nearby wall, a six-year veteran of Station#2
described its function- or what it would it be if it worked. “This
is supposed to filter out the carbon monoxide from the engines when
we leave the station,” he explained. “But the engines
burn diesel fuel, so it doesn’t work. We’re breathing
this (stuff) on a daily basis. It’s no wonder so many firefighters
die soon after they retire,” he lamented.
A month ago, Station#2 was short on fire trucks. The Downey Fire
Department loaned them an engine, which Branson and the firefighters
at Station #2 interviewed for this article said was in far better
shape than the station’s own trucks.
In addition, none of the engines have been inspected or given smog
checks in years, according to Branson. “Our first-line rigs
are 17 years old, and most departments replace them after 7 years,” he
claimed.
Engine Replacement
The Bulletin contacted the other four departments in Compton’s
area group. Downey, Vernon, Montebello and Santa Fe Springs each,
on average, replace their front line engines about every 10 years. “But
Compton does have a lot of services calls, and they do cover a lot
of territory,” noted Santa Fe Springs Battalion Chief Dan Pierro.
When told that some of the firefighters at Station#2 had mentioned
that they are covering what can amount to almost two districts, the
chief answered, “They’re not doing anything that I didn’t
do when I came on.
“Everybody knows what we do,” Smith noted. The chief
then used an analogy that he thought was comparable to the rigors
of firefighting: “If
you go into the (armed forces) reserves, you might have to go to
war, you know what I mean? If you’re a police officer, you
might have to shoot somebody and you might get shot. So, it is what
it is,” the chief frankly stated.
Richard Earl of Station#1 and Sam Harper of Station #4 concurred
with Smith. They feel that the city council has given them very good
support, and while they acknowledge that no organization, including
their own, is without its share of problems, they are very happy
to be members of the fire service. Both accused their colleagues
that have expressed frustration with their agency of harboring desires
of joining the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
“Everything takes time to turn around,” says Sam Harper. “Our
department is turning around, and just because we have some guys
who want to go to the county fire department doesn’t give them
the right to go around telling people all these bad things about
our department.”
Smith, Harper and Earl told the Bulletin that they have heard rumors
that there were a handful of men who had voiced a preference to join
the Los Angeles Fire Dept., and they were the principal sources of
the discontent in the agency. “If they want to work for the
county, just go, and leave us alone,” Harper recommended.
“I was born and raised in Compton, and I still live here,” Earl
put in. “I have a lot of pride in our department, and what
you hear are guys who don’t live here complaining about our
department because they don’t want to be here,” added
Earl, who came up through the agency’s Explorer program.
Harper concurred. “”We have a lot of what I call ‘out-of-town
boys,” he explained. “We’re from here, so we want
to do everything that we can to make the department better,” he
said, motioning to himself and Earl. “Besides,” he added, “in
some of the county departments, things are a lot worse than they
are here.”
“I bet not one of them has ever missed a paycheck,” Earl
said. “I
just think that there are always people who just want to complain,
and most of them aren’t from Compton,” he charged.
“None of that’s true,” countered a nine-year veteran
of Station #2, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals from
his
superiors. He acknowledged that a few of the men in the department
had considered transferring to Los Angeles County because they feel
that they have had to endure outdated equipment, exhaust devices
that do not function and unsanitary conditions. Branson, the union
leader, says that a number of the union members feel let down by
the city’s elected officials and City Hall, who control the
purse strings.
“Why did it take them so long to buy these engines and ambulances?” asked
William Kemp, who was honored recently for his work on public safety
matters in Compton. Kemp feels that the fire department is often
left out of the conversation when public safety is discussed, and
that is why he has been so vocal in his support for the firefighters
and the deficiencies at Station#2. He was also suspicious about the
timing of the council’s largess to the fire agency, referring
to the largess of fire engines and ambulances that have all come
in the midst of a highly charged political season. “The men
have needed this equipment for years.”
Despite their differences, all the men interviewed were unwavering
in their love of the department and the city that they serve. New
equipment is on the way, and Smith says that he will not rest until
his men have the absolute best in resources.
“We strive to have a very high standard here,” the chief
said. “I
am committed to delivering the best possible service to the city,
and providing the best and most state of the art equipment for our
firefighters and paramedics. “They deserve no less than that.”
They are a family, a brotherhood, even with their disagreements.
One thing seemed undeniable: they all want the best for their department.
And as Smith said, the residents, like their courageous public safety
workers, deserve no less.
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